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Friday, September 16, 2005More Federal Authority in Disasters?Just to throw in my two cents on Reynolds' comments on the matter: What's called for in the wake of the New Orleans mess is not more federal authority. It's a more alert citizenry. A long time ago, Dennis Miller critiqued the states' rights argument, asserting that a state senator is a wannabe pol with two many skeletons in his closet to run for a real office. That is, at least in part, our own damn fault. The lower the level of the office holder, the more likely you are to be able to meet with him or her in person, pitch in your thoughts, etc. We don't, though. We assume that because a senator represents the whole state, that's more impressive than meeting your local rep. True enough, but unless you want a one-size fits all solution to all the governmental problems that pop up in life, you'd be better off taking an interest in and giving feedback to the local pols. In New Orleans, the pols were quite close to home. Some of them were ward commissioners. Think of it: Senator Mary Landrieu brought home the bacon to NO, but she couldn't see to it that it got spent doing little things like preventing the city from flooding due to poorly maintained levies. The people in charge who diverted the cash appear to have been local goodtime Charlies. And the citizens of NO snatched up the goodies, including an apparently amazing fireworks show, instead of asking where the money was coming from. They have since taken it in the shorts in a big way. But ask yourself: Is the answer to this to try to catch Bush on a day when he's not more preoccupied with Iraq? Is the answer to see if Landrieu has more to offer than nasty remarks about big city public employees? Or is the answer to grab the nearest levee commissioner by the short hairs and explain that above ground houses are even better than fireworks shows? Bush is in a rough spot here. He can't exactly take to the airwaves and say, "Gee, the Republican governor next door doesn't seem to have had all these issues..." He has to care, care and care some more and vow never to let happen again what isn't really his responsibility. His successor will surely thank him for the added hassles. But, again, that's our fault. The citizens of this fine nation, especially those of them with newspaper columns, are of the opinion that Bush can do no right, can't talk his way out of a paper bag and can't be entrusted with the money for the ice cream man. But they somehow still insist he ought to be big daddy to us all, looking over us and providing for our every need. The truth is, the whole country spent a ton of dough to maintain levees that weren't. Now we're slated to pay to clean up the mess because NO frittered away the money. The only reason to be looking to the federal government now is for indictments for those who diverted federal funds from the projects for which they were intended. Otherwise, the citizens of NO and LA should be suggesting that their leaders top to bottom not count on being in office much longer. The rest of the country, in the meantime, should be looking to see whether LA is getting its act together or whether we need to take added measures to protect ourselves from the consequences of sharing our country with a state where the city workers don't show up on sunny days, never mind stormy ones, and the elected officials are only seen at parties, fundraisers and in irons, but never when it's time to step up to the plate and do what they were elected to do. 
posted by gbarto at 10:49 PM Tuesday, September 13, 2005Right now, my right ankle hurts.It's all Bush's fault!I could use an Ace bandage, but I don't have one. It's all Bush's fault!Had I known my ankle was going to hurt, I might have bought an Ace bandage. But I didn't get around to it. It's all Bush's fault!When I twisted my ankle earlier today, I wondered if I had hurt my ankle. I even wondered if I had an Ace bandage or needed to get one. But I didn't get around to it. It's all Bush's fault!Now it's almost midnight, my ankle hurts and I don't have an Ace bandage, all because Bush doesn't care!* * *And they say blogs can't match real journalism!
posted by gbarto at 11:34 PM Monday, September 12, 2005FEMA Head Brown QuitsThat's what all the headlines say. Don't suppose Blanco and Naggin will follow his lead. After all, who's really responsible for the welfare of the denizens of New Orleans? The Mayor of NO? The Governor of LA? Nah, you know the only people who really count are the federal bureaucrats. The next time Louisiana files a brief in a states' rights case, you can toss it in file 13. These folks only believe in local control when it comes to passing out goodies. Serving their citizens? Leave that to the federal masters.
posted by gbarto at 10:39 PM Sunday, September 11, 2005We remember... On September 11, 2001, the nation had just awakened when maniacs killed some 3,000 people and left the nation on edge for days, if not weeks or years. Four years later, we have removed two governments, seen the Syrian and Palestinian powerbases shrink and have witnessed the emergence of freedom and democracy in some surprising places. There have been setbacks, to be sure. From Bali to Beslan to London, the partisans of hatred have struck, splattering the blood of innocents and soiling the names of their brothers and their creed. Any serious calculation of American deaths in the War on Terror, however, must surely include the 3,000 who perished one bright September morn. And with that in mind, we see our nation is safer, her loss of life less, when we are alert and on the move to guard our freedoms and to expand their reach. On September 11, 2001, a great nation - and one that has long tried her best to be good as well - was struck a mighty blow. But we are still here. Four years on, we are bickering about irresponsible and insufficiently responsive politicians. We are sniping about entertainers and athletes. We are buying things we don't need but which add a little spark and sparkle to our lives. America lives on, both in those things that make her great and in those that keep her humble. And so, four years on, we offer thanks to the firefighters and police, to the soldiers and civilians, and even, yes, to the politicians who have kept America moving forward. Kept America what she is. Thanks to them, and thanks to those whose ideas birthed our nation, we've wound up with one helluva country, warts and all. Looking back on that awful day four years ago, let us therefore turn our thoughts to the words of a great man, a man who in better times would surely have had this to say amid the despair of 9/11: America's best days are yet to come. Our proudest moments are yet to be. Our most glorious achievements are just ahead. America remains what Emerson called her 150 years ago, "the country of tomorrow." - Ronald Reagan, 1992
posted by gbarto at 11:33 AM |
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